


Stealing a Royal Treasure

by ladyshinx



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, MakoHaru is main ship, More characters to be added, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prince Makoto and poor Thief Haru fall in love, Slow Build, possible other relationships to be added - Freeform, royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3545912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyshinx/pseuds/ladyshinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he always imagined what the Tachibana Royal Family looked like, the image of royals dressed in their fine silks, crowns upon their heads, with hard, unsympathetic eyes came to mind. So when he finally met the jewel green eyes of the prince before him, Haruka found himself dumbfounded by the young man, no older than himself, dressed in simple clothes staring back at him. </p><p>(Or: Poor thief Haruka never expected kindness after he was captured for stealing... or to fall in love).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mermaidforeachother](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mermaidforeachother/gifts).



> This is a gift for my friend, Liz!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy as well.

“Get up, thief. The prince had demanded your presence in the throne room.”

Haruka allowed himself to be dragged off the cold floor, the chains binding his wrists and ankles together rattling as the guards hauled him out of the cell, down the dark hallway of the dungeon and up the stairs.

He remained limp, all of his limbs sapped of any energy after his attempt to flee from being captured for theft from a street vendor. His luck had finally run out, it seemed, and before he knew it, he had been taken prisoner by the royal guard.

Haruka was jolted back into consciousness of his surroundings as he was unceremoniously dropped upon an extravagantly detailed carpet. He continued to stare straight down until the same guard as before barked “On your knees. Show your respects to Prince Makoto.” Gritting his teeth, he obeyed the order, weakly pulling himself to his knees, before finally looking upward at the figure upon the throne before him.

Before this moment, Haruka had never seen the crowned prince of the kingdom before. When the royal family had come into town, Haruka had stayed far away from the crowds and guards on the inside, instead skirting the edges of the crowd to practice his pickpocketing skills in order to pay for a loaf of bread for dinner. Never before had he managed to take a glance at the King, Queen, or any of their children.

When he always imagined what the Tachibana Royal Family looked like, the image of royals dressed in their fine silks, crowns upon their heads, with hard, unsympathetic eyes came to mind. So when he finally met the jewel green eyes of the prince before him, Haruka found himself dumbfounded by the young man, no older than himself, dressed in simple clothes staring back at him.

“Where is his accuser?” Prince Makoto asked, voice soft yet firm as he stared directly into Haruka’s eyes.

“Here, my lord.” The harsh, grating voice of the street vendor made Haruka stiffen in anger. The smug tone promised that Haruka would pay for his crime if he had anything to say about it.

“What crime do you accuse him of committing?” The prince asked, finally turning his gaze towards the overweight man somewhere off to Haruka’s left.

“You see, my lord, I am a very honest businessman,” _Lies_ , Haruka hissed to himself. With his overpriced jugs of water during the drought and fruits extorted from poor farmers on the edge of the kingdom, this man was anything but honest. It was the sole reason why Haruka had even targeted him in the first place. “This thief,” the man continued, spitting the word out in disgust, “did not seem to honor the system we uphold here in the kingdom, thinking himself entitled to the good I had labored over obtaining without producing the proper form of payment.”

Haruka watched as Prince Makoto nodded, before turning to the guard at Haruka’s right. “Rei, you were the arresting guard, correct?”

Haruka took a quick glance at the guard, who adjusted the glasses on his face as he replied “Yes, my lord.” He seemed to brim with pride at his confirmation, and Haruka wished he had tripped him when he had the chance.

“Did the accused have any stolen goods upon his person when you did?” Haruka turned his attention back to the brunette before him, as he continued to speak to the guard.

“Yes, my lord. The bag we confiscated on his person held at least ten apples, a small jug of water, and a single loaf of bread. All were claimed to be property of his accuser, your majesty.”

Once more, Prince Makoto’s gaze returned to Haruka, addressing him for the first time since he had been brought into the room. “What is your name, sir?” For a brief moment, the idea of lying tickled Haruka’s thoughts. For some reason, however, under the gaze of the prince, Haruka found himself too tongue-tied to even try. Taking a small breath, he responded quietly.

“My name is Haruka.”

“Do you deny the charges pressed against you, Haruka?” He felt as though those eyes would burn straight through him, and found himself once more unable to lie.

“No, my lord,” he said through clenched teeth, as he let his gaze drop down to the floor once more. He knew that there was no way that he would be leaving the castle again. He could almost hear the smug satisfaction radiating off the merchant.

Prince Makoto seemed to ponder something in silence for a few moments, before sitting up straighter in his chair. “Haruka, if I may ask,” he began, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Do you have a house that you return to every night?”

Confused by the question, Haruka’s head snapped back up once more. He had expected a sentencing or punishment for his obvious crime. Under Prince Makoto’s encouraging gaze, however, Haruka managed to reply “No, my lord.”

“Where do you stay at night, then?” Haruka could feel the others in the room filling with confusion by the strange line of questioning as well. Still, he replied:

“I sleep on the streets, my lord, in a broken down shed that has been abandoned.” Haruka watched as sympathy filled the prince’s eyes, as he shook his head sadly.

“You do not live alone, do you, Haruka?” At this, Haruka visibly stiffened, and the prince put his hands up in a peace gesture, his downturned eyes lighting with amusement. “Do not fear my intentions, Haruka. I am merely curious. No harm will come to anyone if anyone, who stays with you. You have my oath.”

Hesitating for a few moments more, he spoke in a quiet voice. “No, my lord. I live with one other.”

Off to the side, he heard the street vendor cough, drawing the prince’s attention back towards him. “My lord, I believe this other street vermin that lives with him has also stolen from me in the past. I believe that he should be found, and arres-“

“Silence.” The threat behind the simple word, along with the hardened expression of the otherwise good-natured looking prince was enough for the man to fall silent almost immediately. “This is not a trial for anyone else but Haruka. Do not speak out of turn again, sir, or you will be the one facing punishment.” Looking back at Haruka, the prince leaned forward in his chair, harsh expression dropping once more to its seemingly gentle norm.

“Please entertain me with one last question, Haruka, before I decide what should be done here. Is that alright?” Still confused, Haruka simply nodded in reply, stunned from the quick change in demeanor of the prince.

“Thank you,” the prince said kindly, smiling warmly. “Now, Haruka. When you stole from this man, was it in order to feed yourself, and the other who lives with you, and only that?”

Haruka nodded once more, speaking softly. “Yes, my lord. We had not eaten for days, and had no money.”

At his words, Prince Makoto put his hands together, and shook his head sadly. “It is a shame that there are so many people in the kingdom who are starving,” he said, smiling sadly towards the street vendor. “Do you not agree, sir?”

“Well, yes, my lord, it is surely a tragedy. However, it does not-“

The prince cut him off. “If I am to be made aware of other reports from residents within the town, you have the highest prices in all the kingdom for your wares. Do you deny this?” The street vendor seemed to sputter at a loss for words for a moment, before composing himself.

“You see, my lord, I price my items at the appropriate prices. If I do not, I will lose profit, and will not be able to even feed myself, let alone the town if I was unable to supply any goods. It is simply a matter of business, my lord.” Haruka watched as the prince’s eyes hardened once more, before he finally stood up from his throne. He walked down the stairs, slowly approaching the street vendor, who seemed to shrink within himself as the tall prince stood before him.

“Sir, according to our town records, you do not have any family to support. I believe that even if you lowered your prices, you would be able to sufficiently support yourself, and to pay off any debts owed.” The prince smiled at the street vendor, it not quite reaching his stony gaze. Haruka watched as the shorter man seemed to shrink even more under the prince’s intimidating stare.

“How much in goods did this man steal from you, sir?” The prince asked, before stepping backwards from the man as he walked towards the throne once more.

“T-thirty five silver coins, my lord,” he stuttered as he attempted to compose himself. Haruka couldn’t help but feel a little satisfied at watching such an awful man acting as though he was about to soil himself.

Once Prince Makoto returned to his seat, he addressed the unnamed guard to Haruka’s left. “Please escort this kind gentleman out, if you please, and towards the treasury, where he will be paid 100 gold coins for his troubles. That will be enough to cover your losses, and for you to forgive Haruka here, correct?”

The tone of the words left no room for argument, and, despite the fact that Haruka could hear the dissatisfaction upon his voice, the greed of a payment of triple his loses seemed to win him over. “Yes, my lord. Thank you, sir. You are, truly” he said, a tone of mockery rising in his voice, “too kind.”

Haruka listened as the man was escorted out of the room. When the door shut, he watched as all the tension seemed to release from Prince Makoto’s broad shoulders as he slumped in his throne. He let out a long sigh, before smiling kindly at Haruka. “Rei, please remove his chains. There is no more need for show.”

“Yes, my lord.” Soon, Haruka was helped to his feet, and the chains that bound him were removed. The moment they were gone, he quickly began to rub his wrists, examining the deep cuts that had formed from having them dig into his skin for too long. The Prince seemed to notice this, and Haruka watched as he began to frown.

“I am sorry, Haruka. I did not wish to have to chain you, but it is custom when there is a trial. That man,” he said, gesturing towards the closed doors where the street vendor and other guard had disappeared, “has been under my family’s watch for quite some time, and constantly is bringing complaints and charges against others, when he himself is the real criminal.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed once more. “There is not much we can do about him, despite the complaints we have received, as we have not caught him in the act of breaking our laws.”

Haruka didn’t answer, simply staring at the prince in confusion, who continued to smile warmly at him. “I hope that you were not injured too badly by those chains.” Prince Makoto turned his attention towards Rei, and gestured towards Haruka. “Rei, if you would please take Haruka here to see Lady Tamura in order to receive treatments.”

Before Haruka could even blink, he was being whisked out of the room, a hand much gentler than before pressed against his back as the same guard who had tackled him to the ground just hours before lead him out a side door, and deeper into the castle. He couldn’t help it his thoughts running rampant as he was guided towards an unknown destination. He wasn’t even sure exactly what waited still for him at the end of this.

 _It must be some sort of trick_ , he thought, feet moving on their own accord as they made their way down a staircase in silence, the only noise the shuffling of their feet and the occasional echo of a conversation bouncing against the walls. When Rei knocked on a door and a quiet voice called back “Enter, please,” Haruka thought for the first time that just maybe there was no trickery.

The room was filled with simple cots, each made neat and tidy, with different bottles of supplies sitting beside each of them, and Haruka quickly realized that this had to be the infirmary of the castle for those injured and sick. A strange warmth bloomed in his chest as he watched a surprisingly small elderly woman, her grey hair tied back behind her, shuffle her way towards the two of them standing in the door way. “Ah, Rei, is this the young man that I was told might come up here today?”

“Yes, ma’m” the guard replied, tipping his head forward in a bow. Quickly, Haruka reacted, and bowed as well. He was confused, however by the sudden burst of quiet laughter from the woman.

“Now, now, you two, there’s no need for that. Stand up straight!” Awkwardly, Haruka straightened himself up, looking shyly at the ground.  “Now, what seems to be the problem here, young man?” She asked as she went over to one of the crates next to a bed and began to shift through them.

Over the clinking of bottles, Rei explained “Prince Makoto has requested that you bandage his wounds. The chains have cut his wrists and ankles, and require treatment.” Tamura clicked her tongue in distaste as she pulled two bottles, and a long roll of bandages out, before beckoning to Haruka to come sit on the bed.

After a quick look at Rei, who nodded his approval, he made his way over to the bed, sitting on the edge as Tamura dragged a chair in front of where Haruka was. Before she sat down, she pulled an apron off the edge of another bed and tied it around her waist as she chided “Rei, you can go wait out in the hallway. I do not feel like I will be in any danger with this young man here.” Rei bowed in reply, adjusting the red frames upon his face before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Tamura huffed in amusement as she sat down. “That child is too stiff for his own good. He’s been like that since he was a child,” she continued as she pulled the corks out of the bottles with surprising strength. “Now, let’s see the damage done by those ghastly cuffs.”

Shyly, Haruka produced his wrists, and watched as Tamura tutted in irritation. “Honestly, why do they even need to use those forsaken things if they know you’d end up here anyways?” her blue eyes glimmered as she met his when she said “you’re the seventh person this week to come to see me for the same injuries after being cleared of charges by the prince.”

“Seventh?” Haruka said in shock, hissing as she wiped the wounds on his wrists down with some sort of liquid.

“Ah, so you can speak!” Tamura laughed, twisting his wrist quickly as she continued to clean his wound. “I thought you might have been mute, with how quiet you’d been. But yes dear, it’s not surprising, really. Prince Makoto and his parents are very kind to their citizens, and only serve punishments for repeat offenders, and those who truly deserve it. What did you do to end up here?” she questioned as she began to wrap the first wrist with a bandage once she was satisfied it was clean.

“I stole from a street vendor and was caught.” Tamura hummed in sympathy as she began to work on his other arm.

“I bet it was from that really stingy one on the edge of town, right?” Haruka nodded. “That man is the real thief! Charging 10 silver pieces for a small jug of water, during this time of year where the rains are few and far between. That man will get what he deserves, if Prince Makoto has anything to say about it.”

She quickly wrapped the second wrist, before tapping his left leg. “Lean back and put your leg up here on my knee.” When Haruka hesitated, she simply smiled in response. “Oh come on, I’m not that fragile. It’s just easier on me. Now, come on.” Laying back against the bed, Haruka gently placed his foot on her knee, hissing in pain again as she started to wipe it down.

“The Royal family takes very good care of their citizens, you know,” she hummed as she worked, smiling and looking down at him. “If I must say, you do not seem to be in the best shape, and Prince Makoto probably realized that, right? These rags are simply hanging off of you!” she said, grabbing the edges of his tattered pants, full of holes and dirtied. “The royal family is very lenient and kind when it comes to those who are suffering.” She said, smiling, as she tapped his leg as a signal for him to give her his other one.

Haruka sat in silence as she continued to talk, telling him all of how the prince was currently taking over many of the trials brought into the castle, his parents busy preparing for the annual ball at the end of the month, and dealing with the other surrounding kingdoms to continue the peace that has been reining the lands since they came to power.

Soon enough, she finished cleaning the last wound, and bandaged it up, tapping him gently on the knee with a smile. “You’re all good for now, but I want to see you back here tomorrow to change the bandages, and so I can make sure they’re healing properly.”

Sitting up, he pulled his pants down quietly, examining the bandages wrapped around his wrists, before meeting Tamura’s kind blue eyes with a small smile. “Thank you. You are very kind,” he mumbled, looking down in embarrassment. At that, Tamura laughed, patting his shoulder comfortingly as she smiled.

“It’s no problem, dear,” she said, pulling herself up slowly out of the chair, and gesturing for him to follow. “Please, feel free to come back here any time. There’s almost no one ever in here, so I could use the company. Just don’t injure yourself to come visit!” Haruka couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his lips as she let out a full belly laugh at her own joke.  

She made her way to the door that Rei had disappeared into, signaling for Haruka to help her open it. With little effort, he pulled the door open, and was greeted with the sight of the guard Rei leaning against the opposing wall, his familiar shoulder bag that had been confiscated, and a smaller burlap sack resting beside him. When he saw the two of them, he immediately straightened up, his face flushing in embarrassment as he got caught off guard.

“Rei, there’s no need to for you to act so stiff and formal all the time!” Tamura chuckled, shaking her head as he stood even stiffer in response. “Now, please escort this young man to wherever he needs to go. He needs to come back tomorrow, so please make sure he does!”

“Yes, ma’m, I will make sure of it. Now, please,” he said, looking directly at Haruka, “follow me. I will escort you to the gates.”  He leaned down and grabbed the bags on the floor, before throwing them over his shoulder and walking down the hallway. Haruka made to follow him, stopping briefly in front of Tamura. He bowed down to her, before straightening up, and putting his hand forward.

“My name is Haruka,” he said, as she took his hand in hers and shook it warmly. “Thank you once again.”

She beamed at him and patted him on the arm, and pushed him towards the direction where Rei was going. “See you tomorrow, Haruka my dear.” Bowing once more, Haruka walked quickly after Rei.

* * *

At the gate to the castle, Rei handed Haruka back his bag. “Everything has been returned to your bag, including the items that you had taken. The Prince also has included a few more items for you to have, and has requested you take this as well.” Confused, Haruka took his bag, placing it over his shoulder, before taking the burlap sack that Rei offered him. Swiftly, he pulled the strings open, and couldn’t help the warm feeling he felt from before from returning as he touched the warm material of what had to be one of the thickest blankets he had ever seen.

Rei cleared his throat, bringing Haruka’s attention back to him. “The prince also wished for you to have this gift of blankets, and a few changes of clothes to replace your old ones.” Rei then smiled, at Haruka stared at him in amazement. “Do not seem so surprised, Haruka. The prince is a very kind man. He has requested you come back at any time you need to come see him. If you decide to take him up on this offer, and tomorrow when you come back to see Lady Tamura, please ask for me. I am the prince’s personal guard, and will make sure to help you with whatever you need.”

Haruka stared at him, before bowing deeply. “Thank you very much, Rei. And the prince as well.” He looked up, and laughed to himself as Rei seemed to flush in embarrassment again.

“It was nothing, Haruka. Please, stay out of trouble and stay safe. I do not wish to have to arrest you once again.” Rei smiled, quickly bowing in return to Haruka, before walking back towards the castle swiftly. Haruka stared after the guard, lost in thought as he watched him slowly disappear into the castle doors as they closed the gates behind him.

Haruka stood outside of the closed gate for a few moments, before turning away to finally make his way back to his home.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruka returns home and comes to a decision.

When Haruka finally returned to the small shed he called home near the outskirts of the town walls, he wasn't sure exactly what to expect. Being almost tackled to the ground by a small blond streak, however, hadn't been what he thought would happen at all. The high-pitched cry of "Haru!" confirmed his suspicion of who the culprit was. 

"Nagisa," Haruka wheezed, dropping his bags to the ground in surprise as he tried to steady himself. He looked down, and couldn't stop a small smile from spreading across his lips as the younger boy buried his face in Haruka's chest.

"Haru," the muffled sob came from below. "You were gone for an entire day! You promised you would be back before midday, but the sun's already setting!" He looked up at Haruka, his eyes full of tears, lip stuck out in an exaggerated pout.

Haruka felt a pang of guilt in his gut as he continued on. "I thought they might have captured you and decided to hang you," he whispered, voice quivering with fear as he buried his face in Haruka's chest once more. 

Haruka sighed. _I really owe him one,_ he thought, before wrapping his arms around Nagisa and reaching up to bury a hand in the dirty blonde locks in comfort.

"I'm fine, Nagisa." The quiet sniffles made him let out a small breath. "Let's go inside. It looks like rain."

After corralling the other back inside the broken down shack, Haruka sat down on the rough straw they'd managed to gather, pulling it away from the small fire that Nagisa had managed to build while he had been gone. He placed another handful of twigs and branches onto the fire and looked across from him at the other, who refused to meet his eyes.

"Nagisa. I'm sorry."

"I thought you had been captured, Haru," the other said, pouting still.

"Actually," Haruka said, putting his bandaged wrists forward, "I was."

The other whipped his head towards Haruka, eyes widening with shock as he seemed to finally notice that his wrists, in fact, had been bandaged. "You were captured? How did you escape?"

Gritting his teeth, he told Nagisa of how he had been tackled to the ground and taken prisoner, and how he had been sent before the Prince himself, who released him, and had even returned all the goods he'd stolen.

"He even gave me these," he said, shoving the bag the guard Rei had given him to one side of the small fire ring. He watched as Nagisa pulled one of the blankets out, running the thick red fabric between his fingers in awe.

"This is so soft..." he heard the blond murmur, before wrapping himself in the blanket, sighing as he pulled it closed in the front. “I’m taking this one," he said, and Haruka shrugged, reaching in to grab the other blanket, a deep blue color, and doing the same. He examined the contents of the bag, pulling out another blanket that he decided they could sleep on, and two different outfits.

The first shirt he pulled out seemed to be too big for either of them, a white, clean cream color that looked similar to the one that Prince Makoto himself had been wearing. Based on the size of the garment, he wouldn't even be surprised if the Prince had given Haruka one of his own shirts. Smiling softly, he pulled out a pair of tan long pants, similar to the ratty black ones that Haruka had been wearing himself, with a string around the waist to tie.

The second outfit, Haruka found, seemed to be much smaller in size, yet looked similar, save for the deep red color of the shirt. He grabbed them both, before handing them over to Nagisa. "These should almost fit you," Haruka said, and Nagisa all but yelled in excitement.

"New clothes? We haven't had new clothes in so long!" He wasted no time shedding off his blanket, stripping his old clothes, ragged and full of holes off and dressing in the new ones.

As Haruka had suspected, the shirt was a little too long on Nagisa, but he made it work, tying the bottom off to one side to make it shorter, and drawing the string tight around his thin waist to prevent it from slipping.

"Put yours on Haru!" Nagisa all but demanded as he spun around to look at his new outfit, smiling brightly.

Standing up, Haruka changed as well, placing the pants on first and feeling satisfied when they fit with a little adjustment to the string. He watched Nagisa as he worked on putting the shirt on, a small smile on his lips.

It had been too long since Haruka had seen Nagisa look this happy, and he couldn't help but feel thankful towards the Prince allowing such a thing to have happened.

As he pulled the shirt over his head, he knew right away that he had been right. The shirt was too large, sliding down his shoulder off his neck. He frowned, tucking the shirt into the pants in an attempt to tighten it. 

"You're practically drowning in the shirt, Haru," Nagisa all but giggled, and Haruka felt a flare of annoyance in his gut. He had no choice, though, but to wear the shirt. When he looked at his old blue one, covered in mud and half ripped compared to the clean, soft one, he knew he would just have to deal with it for now.

Sitting back down, he wrapped the blanket back around himself, Nagisa doing the same, as he reached into his own bag. He pulled out the one of the apples, handing one to Nagisa, before removing the water and bread that he had taken, surprised they actually had been there, despite what Rei had told him. In the bag, he also found something wrapped in a brown paper, frowning at it as he took it out.

He could feel Nagisa watching him as he ate the apple, and quickly tore through the paper and froze in surprise.

"What is it?" Nagisa inquired, his voice garbled from the apple in his mouth. Speechless, Haruka simply pulled the paper down, and showed Nagisa what was inside: slices of fresh cheese, some cooked meat that Haruka suspected was some kind of poultry and another small loaf of a dinner bread. Nagisa almost inhaled his apple in shock.

“Is that meat?” He said, swallowing the apple with some difficulty. Haruka only nodded, before placing the wrap down in his lap. He ripped the loaf in half, before dividing the meat and cheese evenly into two piles, before handing Nagisa the piece of bread that was the slightly bigger of the two, with the cheeses and meat on top, who all but snatched it out of his hand.

“Thank you Haru,” the blond said, quickly ripping into the meat, and sighing happily. “We haven’t had chicken in so long!” Haruka nodded in reply, frowning at the memory of the last time they had managed to swipe something off one of the carts in town. The butcher had almost taken his hand off with a cleaver, and he left thankful that he had been able to escape with all his limbs intact.

The two ate in silence, with Haruka tossing the branches and twigs on the fire every so often as the fire continued to die slowly. Soon, the harsh sound of the rain hitting what was left of the metal roof above their heads echoed through the shed, and Haruka frowned as he realized the rain was leaking into the shed in a new spot in the back corner.

Soon, the firewood ran out, and Haruka grabbed the third blanket out of the bag, placing it as close as he could to the warmth of the flames without a risk of it catching on fire, before stuffing the empty bag with hay to create something soft to lay their heads on. Nagisa silently moved from his spot and joined him on the other side, throwing his blanket down on the ground, and helped Haruka place his own over it in order to have a double layer of blankets to sleep under.

They laid next to each other, pressed back to back with Nagisa closest to the fire, regardless that they both knew that Nagisa would end up clinging to Haruka’s back in the middle of the night in a tight hug. Ever since Haruka had come across Nagisa years ago as alone on the streets as he was, the two had stuck together and protected one another. Haruka was sure that if he hadn’t had found Nagisa after he had been separated from his parents, he wouldn’t have been able to survive for as long as he had.

After a few more moments of silence as they laid down, Haruka spoke. “They want me to come back to the castle tomorrow.” He felt Nagisa stiffen in shock at his words, before sighing shakily.

“Are you going?”

Haruka stared at the hole in the ceiling and watched as the rain poured down onto the floor in silence as he thought about his answer. He knew that if he went back, there would be no danger to himself. The prince had been nothing but kind to him, even though he had broken the laws. Even the guard, Rei, who had been the one who captured him, had been gentle and kinder than he had ever thought was possible.

He glanced down at the bandages wrapped around his wrists, remembering how gentle Tamura had been as she bandaged his wounds and knew that, despite any apprehension he might have felt, he knew his answer.

“I’m going to go back.” Haruka heard Nagisa take in a deep shaky breath and move close enough to touch his back, and Haruka could feel the other shivering in fear.

He could understand Nagisa’s fear. Shortly after they had met, Nagisa had been forced to flee from the Royal Guard, after getting caught trying to steal food from a street vendor. He had almost been captured too by a guard, who had been yelling how he would be hung for his crimes. Only quick thinking on Haruka’s part, pulling him down an alley and out of the city faster than the guards could catch them, had saved him from his fate. Ever since, Haruka had taken to being the one who stole, while Nagisa stayed at their shed, and protected it from others who might try to claim it as their own.

“You don’t have to come, Nagisa,” Haruka murmured, pushing his back gently against Nagisa’s. He felt the other inhale deeply before his shuddering stopped.

"I'm coming, Haru. I want to meet the people who saved you and thank them myself. I mean..." Haruka swore he could hear all smile in his voice as he added, "they can't all be bad, right?"

Haruka closed his eyes, rubbing his fingers on one the blankets above him and smiled to himself. "Yeah. You're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very slow at updating and I am sorry for that ;;;orz.
> 
> This was meant to be double the length, but I've had this done for two months and didn't have time to continue it and decided to publish what I've had written, so sorry that it's so short :c
> 
> Next chapter, they return to the castle and the plot hopefully moves forward.
> 
> Thanks for reading and for all the comments and kudos!! I check them every day and I might have time to reply to any news ones now that I've finished school!
> 
> Talk to me on my tumblr, tachinana.tumblr.com, or on twitter at @harumakotokyo

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update often (and can't promise that it will be this long always), but as a college student, school takes up most of my time. I hope this was decent enough!
> 
> Nagisa appears in the next chapter, and possibly others! If you aren't aware who Tamura is, she is the kind old lady who gave Makoto food at the beginning of the first episodes when he left his house. I decided to work her into this story in some way, haha ^^; 
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr at tachinana.tumblr.com, or find me on twitter as @harumakotokyo


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